Pilgrimage – Reunion

Part Five

        Zelgadis looked up from the book, contemplating that second meeting. He’d seen the changes, yes. And now, as he read these books written by Amelia, he began to see just how deeply Amelia had changed. The girl he remembered had been flighty, prone to posing and idealistic views. The woman who had written these was coldly realistic, looking at life with world-weary eyes and a heavy heart that she dared not reveal. She could not. She was the Queen.

        To become Queen at nineteen, with no family or friends nearby… and then becoming a mother at twenty. Zelgadis shook his head. Amelia was made of tougher stuff than he had figured.

        He rose and crossed the room, catching a servant in the hallway and asking for some coffee. The servant went to bring him coffee, and he turned back to the room, sitting on the sofa and picking the book back up.

        Before continuing in his reading, he looked over and out the window, nearly dropping the book in shock.

        Amelia was outside in the courtyard, dressed much like she had been that day she’d slain the Demon King. But that wasn’t the disturbing thing. The disturbing thing was the light that glinted off the sword held firmly and expertly in her hands as she began what looked like her morning warm-ups.

        “I thought Amelia didn’t like weapons,” he muttered to himself, watching the Queen step through the basic warm-ups with the blade, book finally slipping from his fingers to fall onto the seat beside him.

        “She does not, your Lordship. However, she took up the sword when her daughter turned a year old…” the servant with his coffee replied.

        Zelgadis’ gaze flicked to the servant as he took his coffee and looked back out to Amelia. The ‘Lordship’ thing would wait. “Why was that?”

        “An attempt on the Princess’ life was made, and Queen Amelia barely succeeded in preventing it. Afterwards, she decided that in order to protect her child without magic, she would have to learn the ways of the blade.”

        Zelgadis’ eyes narrowed. Amelia had made no mention of that. It would be somewhere in Year Two’s book. He’d have to read on. He nodded, dismissing the servant and watching Amelia for a while. She was good, though there were things that he could show her, more efficient ways of handling the blade. Perhaps, if she let him, he might instruct her some.

        Then again, she might just try to hire him again.

        He picked up the book and began to read, considering all of the options that he had.